Kirby Smart shares update on injured Georgia QB Carson Beck

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart joined ESPN’s College GameDay on Friday before Notre Dame-Indiana, and not surprisingly, Smart was asked about the status of quarterback Carson Beck. Reports earlier this week indicated that Beck would miss the College Football Playoffs, which begin on January 1st for the Bulldogs. Smart would not go that far in his comments.

“He and his family down in Jacksonville, his team and staff and really group of people in his family have been trying to pursue the best options to go forward,” Smart said. “We’ve talked to him. We’ve communicated with him, and we’re hoping for the best.”

Beck sustained the injury on the final play of the first half in the SEC Championship game. With Georgia trailing 6-3, Beck attempted a Hail Mary but held on to the ball long enough for the Longhorn pass rush to get home. His arm was hit as he threw, torquing it unnaturally.

After staying on the field for a couple of minutes and being attended to by trainers and coaches, Beck left the field on his own power with his right arm dangling at his side. He returned to the sideline in the second half with ice on both his shoulder and his elbow.

According to Kirby Smart, Beck was unable to grip the football due to numbness, tingling, and weakness in his throwing hand. Georgia turned to backup quarterback Gunner Stockton for the entire second half, scoring on four of six possessions.

Georgia shared an official statement on Beck the Monday after the SEC Championship Game saying that Beck suffered an “elbow injury” and “he and his family are exploring treatment options.” The statement added that there is no current timetable for his return.

The fifth year signal caller out of Jacksonville took over the starting position for Georgia ahead of the 2023 season. Since then, he’s started all 27 contests, totaling 7,426 passing yards and 57 total touchdowns.

It’s been an up-and-down campaign for Beck. He finished the regular season leading the SEC in both passing touchdowns and interceptions, going through a six-game stretch that saw him toss all 12 including multiple in four contests. Recently though, Beck has bounced back strong. He didn’t turn it over in Georgia’s last three games of the regular season, throwing for 11 touchdowns and 941 yards in that time.

“Obviously just being in this position and going through this year and the things that we’ve gone through this season, I think I’ve really grown not only as a quarterback but as a person and mentally in all areas of life,” Beck told reporters ahead of the SEC Championship. “Whenever you’re faced with adversity, you either fall or you rise through that, and you learn a lot about yourself through that. I believe that I have (risen) through these experiences and through facing adversity this year. It makes me excited that I came back and got to experience these things, and that’s really difficult to say because it hasn’t been easy. But we don’t ever want it easy, and that’s kind of the standard here at Georgia is you come here so that it’s hard, it’s difficult, you play in big games, you play on the road against really good teams. You face adversity, you face hardship, and through that ultimately you grow. So no, I think it’s been really good this year, and I think I’ve grown a lot.”

Beck, who does have one year of eligibility remaining if he were to decide to use it, is the fourth-rated quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft by ESPN expert Mel Kiper Jr. and a projected first-round pick.